Time to step up, No more waiting.

After the trek up to Humboldt we came out with a split this weekend and are far from satisfied.  These first few series that we have played have had a common there; waiting. We have waited to score, we have waited to attack and we have waited to find out what type of team we are going to play as.  We have predetermined early on in the season when we created our team goals the type of team that we were going to be this year, we are going to be the team that increases it’s success each year, the team that helps build a legacy, the team that is going make a post season run, and the team that is going to be feared and where the target on our back all season long because we will be the best.  Unfortunately early on we have not played like that and the current frustrations that we have need to come to an end.  

Our pitching staff has really helped us out by absolutely dominating our competition, it seems as though our trio is playing to damn near perfection.  As great as that is to have that it’s unfair to load them with that much pressure because of lack of run support.  Thankfully though this weekend our issue was not that we weren’t getting runs across but we were just getting going way too late.  Our pitching staff kept us in the game or we were in a situation where most teams wouldn’t come back and then someone would spark something, like freshman, Tatiana Pizarro’s three run triple turned home run on a throwing error.  That then gave us reason to fight and a reason to answer back.  This game went extra innings and we ended up losing which simply proved that we cannot wait to score because all it is going to take is one mistake, one good swing, or one great play to end the game.

There is no doubt that our team has fight but it would be ideal to see this earlier on, to take the first games of the day so we can then have that momentum carry over into game two.  Game two of our, second day of games Sonoma State Softball came to play.  We scored early, we found the gaps, we made adjustments, and we forced 4 pitching changes in the 7 innings, 3 of which happened in the first few innings.  There were several hard hit balls, a few home runs, and plenty of runs scored to solidify the final game of the series in our favor with a 9-1 win.  Offensive production is something this team is more the capable of and this weekend junior, catcher Skylynn Myers was often the spark that got our team going with great at bats, getting a hit more than half of time she made a plate appearance.

Going in to this next series against San Bernadino we know we will face better pitching and are ready to attack the ball, put pressure on early, and prove to ourselves that we are more than capable of being the team we have set out to be.  We’ll get some game time action in before the conference series against the Academy of Art, San Francisco in a non conference doubleheader and we’re looking to take two wins to take momentum into this weekend.

Make A Statement.

After sweeping East Bay at our home opener we were anxious at another shot to prove ourselves.  Although we came out with the four wins we knew deep down that our performance was not representative of the team that we have worked to be.  We had faced San Francisco State earlier this February in the Best of the West Tournament in Turlock but our team was lacking then too and we had owed them a much better performance on our end.  Eager to host them at our home field, in front of our fans we were ready to get a head start in conference standings and rack on some more wins.  Really cannot say enough about our pitching staff who have really been the driving force in our teams success thus far and I truly believe they will give us the upper hand against all of our conference opponents but it is long over due for our offense to step up and take some pressure off of our three pitchers via run support.  In game one, our offense was sporadic and we continued to struggle scoring early but were able to come out on top. Game two seemed to mimic game one a little bit and both pitchers were dueling and we were constantly getting runners on base, even runners on early but were struggling getting them in.  Our need to capitalize with runners in scoring position was very apparent but after twelve innings in the freezing cold the game had to be carried over to Monday because we had eventually lost daylight.  We felt very confident that we were going to protect our house and at the conclusion of Sunday evening we had made it a team goal to end game two in one inning.  Sunday morning we did exactly that, Jules took the mound and the defense had a solid three up, three down inning and then turned it over to the offense to seal the deal.  In outstanding, crowd pleasing fashion despite the rejection of her beloved bat Ro came up clutch yet again and drilled the first pitch that she saw for a walk off jack to finish game two in our favor.  Game three started almost immediately after and our hits were coming in spurts and our inability to execute hurt us.  We lost game three by one run but were determined to end our weekend on a high note and win this series.  Our team was in agreement that our first series, although it ended in our favor was not what our team was about and we wanted to make a statement to our conference, to our competition and especially to the non-believers and that is what this final game was about…making a statement.  A change in the line up was the spark that changed the lull in our offense and we finally scored early.  We put five runs on the board in the first innings and it sparked a hit parade, everybody was attacking and taking big hacks.  We scored nine runs early to mercy San Francisco in five innings.  We ended the series on a good note and finally gave a bit of a sneak preview of what should be expected out of Sonoma State Softball this season.  We take on Humboldt this weekend at their field and are expecting them to come out swinging but we’re ready to do the same thing in addition our solid pitching staff continuing to do exactly what they do best.  

Thanks.

No particular rhyme or reason behind my blog this time just have some time to kill as I sit here and watch my little sister at her indoor practice facility in downtown San Jose as she was just added to the roster for the 16U Lady Sharks and watching is making me reminisce on all the time I've spent doing the exact same thing.

It's so funny and mind boggling to me that amount of time that I myself and my parents and family have invested in my softball career over the last sixteen years.  The never ending carpools to and from practices, the weekend tournaments that occurred every single weekend of every single season, and all the money that was poured into tournament fees, uniforms, gear, travel, etc.  What sticks out most to me out of all of the sacrifices made on my behalf because I simply loved to play and could not get enough is all the time and effort.  I used to roll my eyes and mutter things under my breath when my parents and siblings would hold it over my head how each summer was devoted to me and the tournaments but now I'm not even mad, go ahead because I am so damn thankful that we did all of that because had we not the likelihood that I would be in my final year of softball having damn near reached the finish line of what is ultimately the highest level at which a female softball player can compete at.  I am so grateful.

I can't help but laugh to myself as I write this because theres so many times where I have seen my sister drag her feet about not wanting to trek downtown in the middle of the week after school, homework and other extracurriculars just for a couple hours of hitting.  Mind you, I am sure that I was guilty of something similar when I was younger.  Really though, myself, my sister, all of my teammates and those that we compete against are so lucky to have had these opportunities and the support behind us to achieve great things.  There's no framed picture of me in my uniform or team hoodie that I can give to my parents and my family as a token of thanks and appreciation for all that they have done in supporting me reach the ultimate level of competition.  I am hoping that I can show a bit of that thanks this season by doing some things I have yet to accomplish in my career at Sonoma, my family, friends, and supporters can all look forward to an entertaining season filled with thick competition.

Like I said, not really sure where all of this came from but I figure there is never really a bad time to say thanks...so "thanks". Happy Holidays everyone!

YES.

A new post from me is extremely overdue, I am thinking that my lack of writing may be due to the madness that has come from applying for graduation, transferring units, appealing classes, trying to relocate for my job after graduation along with team related things like dealing with the loss of two players, readjusting to the smaller team, getting everyone on the same page, creating team goals, and assessing what actions need to take place this Christmas break to ensure success when we return in January.

We have come a long way since fall and our team is definitely making strides as far as strength and conditioning is concerned. The natural and raw talent that each girl on this team possesses is incredible and every single person is holding themselves accountable and putting in the extra work. This may be taking us a little longer than most teams or more time than we had anticipated coming in this past August but I feel that our primary concern and focus as a team right now is coming together and getting everyone on the same page. In our last sports psychology meeting we really discussed in depth how each person was feeling about the team, the program, and what is to come. We did an exercise where we were able to gauge each persons comfortablity with certain topics and it opened up everyone's eyes and laid out on the table what we need to work on as a team and what areas we are excelling in.

My personal goals for this team is to increase the competitiveness with one another, between each position player, from infield to outfield, pitchers and catchers, middles to corners, and even between the team and our coaching staff. The playing field is very even and we worked alot this fall on getting better, improving our skills, and being the best but now I would just like to see who exactly feels they are the best and deserves that starting spot. I feel that this will pull out the competitive edge that I might not have seen just yet in every single one of us and it inevitably brings out the best in each individual. We have recognized that we are not playing for ourselves but for the team and the program and we're no longer going to hold back because we know it could hinder our possible success.

This last weekend we had a team bonding event at coaches house where we ate lots, laughed even more, did some activities that had us open up even more with one another, and what seemed to be the most difficult for me was when we did our secret Santa gift exchange. The person giving the gift had to state something that they were proud of themselves for doing and then explain something that they were proud of their teammate for whom they were giving the gift to. We all kind of laughed it off and poked fun at the idea most likely because if felt awkward and uncomfortable but coach quickly assured us that this was a skill set we needed to acquire and be comfortable with. There is a great deal of things that I am proud of myself for but have never put it into words and shared it with a large number of people even if they are my teammates and close friends. I explained not very eloquently and rather emotionally that I am simply proud for still being here and doing what I am doing. With both athletics and academics when there were quite a few who doubted me and simply told me no and that I was not cut out for this caliber of play or when I endured what very well could have been a season ending injury, I am proud for sticking with this and fighting through it. I have never once regretted doing any of that because it has all been so worth it for me and I am so looking forward for whats to come from this team for my final season. I came across this quote and found that it was rather fitting and pretty inspiring, so enjoy and I'll catch all of you up on life over intersession....

"All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the No's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly. AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES." -Nike




Happy Holidays :)

Fall semester dwindles down

Brand new baby blue sweatshirts from coach? Yayyy, that marks almost the end of the fall season as a gift from Coach.  She clearly knows how much we love free stuff J Now it’s back to individuals where we get some more personalized time with the coaching staff as we are broken down into small hitting groups, groups based on our positions, and then of course the always exciting team conditioning and weights.  I am really proud of where my team has came from considering we had the most difficult start this fall, out of all my seasons played here at Sonoma.  Our fitness has improved tremendously and we are pushing ourselves every day in the weight room, Coach Mack really has us focusing on pushing the limits and reaching our full potential because we won’t know what that is if we don’t test our strength by pushing boundaries.  On the field I am hoping to really see the competition between position players to increase because we have a great deal of depth to this squad with some hard working, and very experienced players along with some committed and very eager underclassmen.  Unfortunately our fall game schedule was somewhat short lived but we make up for that with lots of practices where we get to see live pitching from our staff and off of Coach Bridges.  I am incredibly eager to see how much more we will improve over Christmas break and let everyone know how ready we are for the traditional spring season to be here. 

In SAAC things have finally settled down just a little bit and I’m not mad one bit.  We are currently working on supporting all of our teams that are making to the post season.  In the coming weeks our game of the month to attend is going to be Women’s Volleyball vs. Cal State LA on November 11^th at 7:00pm in the Wolves Den. We’re also working on brainstorming some of our community events for next semester so we can start our partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Sonoma County.  We just had our bi-yearly SAAC Conference where legislative grids were reviewed and input was given on all things regarding the conference from apparel that’s sold to mandated time off during Christmas breaks.

Reality still has not set in for me that I am going to be graduating next Spring but it will after I meet with my advisor tomorrow to get my graduation application signed off and I add up all my units completed thus far and determine what my next steps will be as my final semester approaches.  I am enjoying writing for the sports section for the school paper more than I thought I could and I am holding A’s in all my classes and plan on doing so for the duration of the semester. 

The NBA season could not have come at a better time since the Yankees choked in the post season.  I am really looking forward to the addition of all the newbees on the Lakeshow roster, Blake and Barnes especially.  Oh and can’t forget to give credit to the 49er win in London last weekend, hopeful for a strong finish.

Until next time, farewell J

Committed.

I'm not really even sure if there are people out there reading this other than my mom and Auntie but I'll apologize to the world wide web for my lack of posts lately. My life these last two weeks has been incredibly hectic due in large part to the planning of Midnight Madness in a record breaking 8 days with an immense amount of help from several other organizations on campus and as always SAAC.  Midnight Madness is the traditional kick off of Basketball season for both our men and women's teams.  We filled the night with team introductions under the spotlight, performances from our dance and cheer team, give aways, live DJ, 2ball competition, dunk contest and the biggest crowd pleaser was the dance off to close the night.  It was something I was unsure I was even going to be able to pull it off but in my four years here we had the largest number of people in attendance and from what I have been told everyone had a great time and it was appreciated by all of the athletes who got some well deserved recognition from our peers.  It was definitely well worth the stress and the lack of sleep and it got me real excited for this upcoming basketball season.

In SAAC we have one of our projects underway which is gathering people to joining the "SSU BLUE CREW", which is our attempt at creating a rally crew if you will filled with spirited people in support of athletics.  We have made shirts and are asking for an $8 donation to Breast Cancer Awareness, Make A Wish Foundation, and the Boys & Girls Club of Sonoma County in exchange along with specialized seating at all sporting events.  We are hoping this promotes more support school wide for athletics and we get more people out and attending these games.

As far as softball is concerned, things have not stopped or slowed down in the slightest bit.  We started getting into goal setting which is a big focus for our team and individually so we can really track our growth and focus on achieving something attainable.  You focus on a long term goal, then your short term goal pertains to how you will achieve that goal, and then your operational goal is each step you will take in order to conduct your short term goal.  My goals consist of one defensive which I have made in order to improve my blocking, offensively my focus is staying linear to the ball, and my last goal is managing my stress of classes, softball, SAAC, graduating, life after graduating etc.  This weekend we play William Jessup in a double header this Saturday which will be nice to get some live competition in and really enjoy the few games we get to squeeze in this fall.  

School is going, with two successful Psychology and Media Law midterms under my belt it's time to prepare for the next one this upcoming Tuesday.  The PR/Ad team I was apart of in a trial run this semester is not working out as anyone had planned so I guess I'll begin writing for the Sports section in the schools paper from here on out.  I have no experience in writing for a publication but I'm sure I'll find a way to get myself adjusted to this new avenue of writing.  Lastly my goals for this week are to file for graduation which is still unreal to me and meet with my advisor to choose my final classes of my college career here at Sonoma. 

In case any of you were wondering I am 100% frustrated with the performance of my boys, the New York Yankees in this post season right now.  If the offense doesn't improve and our bullpen can give up less bombs we'll make it out of this series by the skin of our teeth but till that time we're gonna have a hell of a time competing with the Rangers who seem to be everyone's favorite team now that the post season has arrived, them and the Giants....sheeesh. I'm still hopeful so now it's time to cease the typing and let the biting my finger nails continue in hopes of a Yankee win at home tonight.  Go Yanks!

Fall Ball is hereeee!

Sorry for the delay on posting, this post will make up for the last two weeks which were pretty eventful.  Two weeks ago marked the beginning of our traditional fall season and also the conclusion of self conducted morning conditioning because as a team we have reached a point where we can practice more efficiently because our fitness is up and we are now holding ourselves more personally accountable.  I love the traditional fall season because it means more time on the field, more freedom to work outside of practice because there are less restrictions, inter squad scrimmages on  Saturdays, and this upcoming weekend we face Solano JC and San Francisco State in doubleheaders to start our preseason play.  Although very new still our defense looks pretty strong we've got a roster full of just raw talent and we literally don't take a day off from improving that with lots of repitition, live defense drills, and "game time".  Offensively we are still getting into the swing of things (no pun intended) with hitting circuits and trying to get as much live hitting as possible.  It's nice to have four pitchers who are really making us earn it but it's hard to handle that with only two catchers and a somewhat short handed coaching staff but we're making the most out of what we have.  This year I think it is really going to be a goal of ours to prove that we are capable of using short game to our advantage.  Last year we were known for our big bats, power hitting, and record breaking stats in home runs but this year we want to use all the speed that we have and attack the defense with changing things up by perfecting our short game and mixing that in with our powerful offense. I look forward to what the rest of this fall season brings and am excited for the preseason play starting this week with Solano.

SAAC has been super busy in preparing for Sonoma State's second annual Homecoming Week.  It is really in efforts to create more school spirit and gain some more support of athletics.  We have collected money and are sending it off to the American Cancer Society in order to help fund the Breast Cancer Walk in San Francisco next month while also brainstorming some ideas of how we can aide in the disaster relief in San Bruno.  We are really excited about hosting the first ever home meet for our Cross Country girls this week in Santa Rosa and are going to show that via a breakfast tailgate this Saturday and representing Sonoma State proudly by wearing our "SSU BLUE CREW" shirts.  We're hoping these shorts will spread and students, families, and fans can wear them to all of our schools sporting events.

School is really underway with a midterm approaching and deadlines coming out of nowhere, at least that's how I feel.  I have a media law midterm this week where I have to memorize a million cases about the first amendment, libel, privacy law etc.  So it looks like the library is where my next few evenings will be spent while trying to sell some ads to local businesses for the schools newspaper which hasn't been that successful this far but hopefully things will turn around for me in that avenue.

In other unrelated news I'm so disappointed in the 49ers and their performance lately, after that great showing against the Saints I was hopeful but I had to change the channel yesterday because I couldn't take it much longer.  On the brighter side of sports the Yankees pulled it off and clinched their spot for playoffs, ARod coming super clutch with the two run jack and the reserves coming in and stepping up to the plate with runners on base is exactly what I like to see.

Byeeee :)